Nickname(s) Curt Resting place Shelley | Name Curt Brinkman Height 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) | |
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Full name Raymond Curtis Brinkman Nationality United States of Americabirth_date = November 21, 1953 Died September 8, 2010, Pleasant Grove, Utah, United States | ||
Curt brinkman 1953 2010
Raymond Curtis "Curt" Brinkman (November 21, 1953-September 8, 2010) was the winner of the 1980 Boston Marathon in the men's wheelchair division. He was the first participant in the wheelchair division to come in faster than the fastest runner, coming in seventeen minutes faster than the traditional winner, setting a (then) world record of 1:55:00. He also won several Paralympic medals.
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Curt Brinkman was born in the farming community of Shelley, Idaho on November 21, 1953. He was already 6 foot 7 inches tall at age 16 and had aspirations of playing professional basketball. Brinkman was working on his father's potato farm in the early 1970s when he climbed a power pole to locate other workers. A high-voltage arc knocked him to the ground. Doctors had to amputate both of Brinkman’s legs.
Marriage and family
Curtis Brinkman is the father of three children.
Later life
Curt Brinkman used the accident as a motivation in his life. Brinkman not only achieved fame as a world class wheelchair athlete. He was also an educator, motivational speaker, and author of the best-selling books The Will to Win and Still Winning/Lessons for Life.
Curtis Brinkman won his last race, the St. George Marathon, in 2007 at age 54. He died at age 56 at his home in Pleasant Grove, Utah following challenges brought on by a number of health complications, including diabetes and heart problems. Some of Brinkman’s health problems dated back to the accident where he lost his legs. Others came from the wear-and-tear of racing.